Police close M40 after ‘serious’ crash sees lorry hit motorway bridge

A serious crash which saw a lorry hit a motorway bridge saw the M40 closed in both directions in Oxfordshire.

The incident occurred shortly before 1pm on Tuesday, April 30, close to the Welcome Break Oxford Services.

Thames Valley Police raced to the scene and closed the road in both directions between Junction 9 near Bicester and Junction 8A near Oxford.

National Highways described the incident as a “serious collision” and confirmed that traffic was being diverted via the exit and entry slip roads at Junction 8A.

READ MORE: Lorry crashes into bridge and closes motorway in BOTH directions in 'serious' incident

AA detailed that the incident had seen a vehicle strike one of the motorway bridges causing the emergency services to attend and shut down the road.

The service also confirmed that a lorry was involved in the crash which was causing severe traffic delays across the area.

“Road blocked, bridge struck by vehicle, queueing traffic, congestion, detour in operation,” read the update.

"Road blocked and queueing traffic due to bridge struck by vehicle and crash, Lorry involved on M40 northbound at J8A A418 (Oxford Services / Thame / Aylesbury).

"Congestion to the southbound side as onlookers slow to look.

"Detour in operation via the slip roads."

This was furthered by witnesses at the scene who shared what they saw following the serious crash on the M40.

One motorist who wished to remain anonymous told the Oxford Mail that a lorry had hit the motorway bridge, causing damage.

“We saw a lorry collide with the bridge and we saw the bridge was fine except for some collision marks,” he said.

Thames Valley Police later confirmed at around 2.19pm that officers were dealing with a “serious” crash and that the closure was expected to last indefinitely.

A spokesperson for the force at the time said: “We are currently dealing with a serious road traffic collision on the M40 at junction 8A for Oxford.

“The motorway is closed in both directions but a diversion is already in place and traffic is now flowing via the junction, albeit slowly.

“We expect the closure to remain in place for some time while we deal with the collision, including waiting for structural engineers to check a bridge to ensure it's safe.

“So please avoid the area as best you can and thank you for your patience.”

At the time of writing at 3.20pm, the road remains closed in both directions as police officers continue to work at the Oxford crash site close to the services.

The Oxford Mail has approached Thames Valley Police and South Central Ambulance Service for further comment.